Retreating to Each Other
by mistressofburden
Summary: After defeating Naraku Kagome returns to her time because she thinks Inuyasha has died. This is a One Shot


**I wrote this awhile ago after seeing a picture on deviant art entitiled Retreating to Each Other by ALM82. The artist gave me permission to use her image as a guide to my story. If you go to deviant art and search for Alm's work, you'll see some amazing Inuyasha fan art!

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Kagome groaned and pulled herself over the lip of the well. She bit back a scream when she jarred the ankle that she was positive was broken in at least two places. Somehow she managed to get herself out of the well without jarring too many of her injuries. She leaned on the bottom step of the well house, taking a minute to catch her breath and to figure out how she was supposed to make it to the house. 

The sound of Souta's soccer ball being bounced against the outside wall caught her attention. 

"Souta!" She called as loudly as she could. 

It took a couple of tries before Souta actually heard her calling his name and entered the well house. 

She could hear him muttering about having to carry the "fucking monstrosity of a backpack". She made a mental note to yell at Inuyasha for teaching her brother to swear like that. That's when she realized that she wouldn't be able to yell at him. After all, it is kind of hard to yell at the dead. 

She barely recognized the sound of the door opening and Souta's footsteps as he entered. 

"Kagome?" Souta's concerned voice met her ears. "You okay? Where's Inuyasha?" 

The tears that Kagome had tried to keep at bay fell as she sobbed into her hands. She didn't know how to tell her little brother that his hero was dead. For the first time in a long time, Kagome felt completely helpless. 

Souta jumped down the stairs and pulled his sister to him. He had never had to comfort Kagome before; it was her job to shelter him not the other way around. He could hear Kagome muttering something and he gently pulled away from his sister. 

"He's dead Souta." She sobbed, "He's dead and it's all my fault." 

Souta wavered under the sudden dead weight of his sister as she fell into unconsciousness. He wanted to shake her awake, to demand who was dead and why his sister blamed herself. The horrible sinking feeling in his stomach told him exactly who she was talking about, but he would have to wait. For now he busied himself with carrying Kagome to her room and putting her to bed. 

He pulled the covers over her and sat down at the side of her bed, like he had seen his hero do so many times before. He could see his sister twitching in her sleep and could hear the odd whimper leave her throat. He wished he could crawl inside her mind and kick away all the bad memories that she was reliving, but for now all he could do was wait for her to wake up.

* * *

_Word had reached the village in Inuyasha's forest that Naraku was finally making his move. He sent Kohaku to the village, knowing that Inuyasha and his pack would follow the boy, the__y_ _always did._

_True to Naraku's plan, the group appeared in the field where he waited for them. Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes as Inuyasha and Naraku exchanged the typical insults. Kagome looked around, hoping that the messengers that they had sent to Kouga and Sesshomaru would make it to their destinations quickly; she had a feeling that they would need their help._

_She snapped her attention back when she heard Miroku call out to Sango and turned to see the monk holding back the exterminator. Naraku had drawn the shard from Kohaku's back and the boy collapsed limply to the grass._

_Kohaku was the first loss of the battle. Kagome knew that she would never forget the sound of the anguished scream that came from Sango. Kohaku's shard was the final shard that Naraku needed to complete the jewel and obtain the power he desired._

_"Hit the Jewel." Inuyasha said from beside her._

_Kagome stared at him like he had lost his mind. "What?"_

_"Hit the jewel." He repeated. "If you can shatter the Jewel, then he'll lose his power."_

_"But what if we need the Jewels power?" Kagome asked._

_"We've done fine without it__." Inuyasha told her. "We can beat him without that power."_

_Kagome nodded and concentrated on locating the jewel in Naraku's body. Once she found it she pulled an arrow from her quiver and notched it in the bow. Her hands were shaking so bad that she would never be able to hit her mark._

_Inuyasha's hand settled over hers. "__Relax;_ _I have complete faith in you." Kagome smiled at him, grateful to hear those words. "Kagome?"_

_"Yes Inuyasha?"_

_"I just want you to know, I know what I'm going to wish for when this is all over."_

_Kagome smiled at him. "Then tell me when we win."_

_The corner of Inuyasha's mouth twitched in what Kagome assumed was meant to be a smile and he nodded. She had the feeling that he had more he wanted to say to her, but a tentacle getting shot between them ruined the moment._

_Kagome re__-__aimed her arrow, her hands no longer shaking thanks to Inuyasha's words of_ _encouragement. She_ _took a moment to be sure of her target before releasing the arrow._ _She urged it on silently and gasped when it was deflected by a barrier._

_"Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled as he cut through another tentacle._

_Sango ran over to Kagome, knowing that she needed to be close to her friend to defend her from Naraku's attacks. She grabbed Kagome's arm and pulled her out of the way of a blast of magic._

_"I don't understand. We can destroy the tentacles." Kagome said._

_"The barrier is obviously protecting the core of his body._ _Unless_ _we can break it, there's no way we can destroy him." Sango told her._

_"Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed causing the two females to turn their attention back to the battle._

_Kagome gasped at the sight of several tentacles rushing at them and she could hear Sango curse her stupidity for letting her guard down. Sango pulled Kagome behind her and raised_ _the Hiraikotsu to block the rushing tentacles. They could hear both Miroku and Inuyasha calling out to them._ _Kagome closed her eyes and said a silent final farewell to those she loved and waited for the inevitable strike._

_When nothing happened she opened her eyes and saw a blast of energy cut through the tentacles. The direction they came from told her it wasn't a Kaze no Kizu blast, but a blast from Sesshomaru's sword, Toukijin. The blast created from the tentacles disintegrating knocked Kagome and Sango back. Kagome fell heavily on her feet and cried out when she felt and heard one of her ankles snap._

_She could hear Naraku's laugh and Inuyasha's scream of one of his attacks. He appeared at her side a moment later and gathered her to him._

_"What the hell are you doing?" Inuyasha growled at his brother._

_"You should take better care of your mate, baka." Sesshomaru told him. "This Sesshomaru had better things to do than take care of pitiful humans."_

_Kagome noticed Inuyasha's cheeks flame red when Sesshomaru said the word "mate", and made a mental note to ask him about that later. Inuyasha bared his fangs and snarled at his older brother before moving Kagome to the side of the field._

_"I'm going to try and break his barrier and when I tell you to, I want you to fire your arrow. No matter what."_

_"But what if you're…"_

_"No_ matter what_!" Inuyasha insisted. "Promise me Kagome."_

_Kagome bit her lip, wanting to refuse him. "Alright, I promise."_

_Sango stood beside Kagome, silently supporting her friend. Everyone in the field appeared to have stopped fighting to watch the two hanyou's fight. Naraku had the obvious upper hand, but it wasn't stopping Inuyasha from fighting him._

_It took several tries before Inuyasha could get close enough to shatter the barrier with the red Tetsusaiga. "Kagome, now!"_

_Kagome strung and arrow and aimed it once more at the jewel._ _Just as she released the arrow, one of Naraku's tentacles shot towards Inuyasha, quickly wrapping around him._

_"Inuyasha!"_

_Kagome's scream echoed through the field as the arrow hit_ _its_ _mark._ _Both Hanyou's screamed in pain as the purification power imbedded in the arrow worked its magic through their demonic bodies. A white flash knocked everyone but Sesshomaru backwards as Naraku and Inuyasha were devoured by the purification._

* * *

Miroku and Sango watched Kagome fall into the time slip. They had willed her to understand that maybe because of Inuyasha's human blood he was still alive. She had just stared blankly at the wall and refused to acknowledge them. 

Even Sesshomaru had tried to convince her that Inuyasha was still alive. He had been the only one to get a reaction from her, which was a slap across the face and her giving him a very hate-filled glare. 

When even Shippou was unable to bring her any comfort, it was decided that perhaps it was time for her to go back to her own era. Perhaps being close to her mother would help, and if needed she could get help from someone knowledgeable on the subject. 

"Do you believe it was a good idea to let her go home?" Sango asked Miroku as they stared at the empty well. "What if she does something rash, like seal herself on that side?" 

"Kagome always has a reason for doing things. If she closes the well off, then that means that she believes it is the best thing for her." Miroku said, wrapping his arm around Sango's shoulder. 

Kirara, who up until that time had been lying quietly in Sango's arms suddenly sat up straight, her fur standing on end as her nose began to twitch and her ears began to swivel wildly. 

"Kirara?" Sango asked as the cat Youkai jumped from her arms and ran for the trees. 

Sango and Miroku glanced at each other before following her. Sango knew that there was no danger; otherwise Kirara would have changed into her full form. She had obviously smelt and heard something that disturbed her, but she didn't find a threat. As they caught up to the small cat they spotted the flame burst that meant she had changed to her full size. 

Sango ran forward, cursing herself for not bringing her Hiraikotsu. She slid to a stop in the clearing where Kirara was standing, gently pawing at something on the ground. 

The bright red immediately told them what Kirara had sensed and with a gasp both Miroku and Sango ran to Inuyasha's side. 

"Is he alive?" Sango asked as Miroku struggled to roll him over. 

"He's alive." Sesshomaru's smooth voice sounded to their left. "His demonic blood was purified, so he's very weak." 

"Will he live?" Miroku asked. 

"Only time will tell." Sesshomaru said. "I think being near his mate would help his recovery." 

Sango glanced over at the Inu-Youkai. "You've said that before. Why do you keep saying he has a mate?" 

"My brother has taken Kagome as a mate in every way but one. He lives with her, provides her with food, shelter and protection. It's quite obvious that his wish on the jewel would be to remain with her." Sesshomaru said as the two humans struggled to lift Inuyasha onto Kirara's back. As if he could understand what they were talking about, Inuyasha began to moan and call out for Kagome. 

"Unfortunately we can't send him to Kagome in this condition." Miroku said. "He'll have to heal a bit first." 

"Is there any way that we can speed the healing process?" Sango asked Sesshomaru. 

"If there's something with her scent in it, it will help him at least become strong enough for his demonic blood to re-emerge." Sesshomaru said. Sango nodded and patted Kirara as a sign to get Inuyasha back to the village. 

Once she had Inuyasha settled on a futon, she quickly dragged over the backpack that Kagome had left behind and began to dig through it. She quickly found a few shirts that Kagome had thrown to the bottom since they needed to be washed and laid them out beside Inuyasha. She noticed Shippou creep closer to the Hanyou and watched with tears in her eyes as the small Kitsune smoothed Inuyasha's black bangs back from his forehead, before snuggling closer to him and falling asleep. 

It took four days before any sign of Inuyasha's demon blood emerging made its self known, and even then it was Shippou and Sesshomaru that had to point it out. They could smell the shift in his scent. Two days later Inuyasha's ears grew points on the tips, resembling Sesshomaru's. On the morning of the tenth day a large white streak appeared in Inuyasha's hair. By nightfall on the fifteenth day he was back to his Hanyou form. 

Sango was awoken by the sound of Inuyasha dragging himself out the door of the hut. "Inuyasha what are you doing?" She called softly, knowing that since his ears were back, he'd hear her. 

"I have to go to her Sango, she thinks I'm dead, and I'm dying without her." He said softly. 

"Inuyasha, you're still too hurt to travel through the well. Maybe you should wait a few more days." 

She didn't need the light of the embers to see the glare he sent her. "Either help me to the well or live with the guilt if I get picked off by a Youkai on my way to the well." He muttered. 

Sango sighed and crawled out of her warm bed to help the stubborn Hanyou.

* * *

Kagome awoke the next morning with a groan. Her head was still fuzzy from the pain killers she had taken to help her sleep through the night. She shifted carefully so that she wouldn't bump her sore ankle. The cast was heavy so moving her leg carefully was always a challenge, but after almost two weeks she had gotten used to it. 

With some effort she got out of bed and dressed without causing herself too much pain, and without waking Souta up. He had taken to sleeping in her room since she had returned from the past. He claimed it was so that he could help her with anything she might need, she secretly believed he was on some kind of suicide watch. 

She sighed and walked to the window, throwing it open so she could stare up at the sky. She had come to a conclusion the night before. She was going to return to the past and say goodbye to her family there. Once that was done she would come back to the future and seal the well forever. 

Yes, it was a good plan. 

She could almost make it through the day without crying over him. That was a good thing. Then again the psychiatrist at the hospital had also given her a good dose of anti-depressants, and those helped her too. 

She sighed and looked towards the tree, needing it's familiar comfort. The doctors had suggested finding somewhere or something that would bring her a feeling of ease and comfort, and it would make the trials of getting over his death so much easier. 

_That and refusing to speak his name helps._ She thought bitterly. 

She allowed her eyes to drift over the blossoms and down the trunk. At the bare spot that signified where she had first seen him. The bright red of his fire rat as he lay against the trunk. 

_Wait a minute._ She thought, squinting her eyes to see better. Sure enough she could make out the bright red of his fire rat. _It can't be!_

She hobbled out of her room, ignoring the fiery pain of her bones shifting in their cast as she moved. She probably added on six more months of physio therapy right there, but she had to see if the pills were making her delirious or if he was really there. 

She threw open the paper screen and walked as fast as the cast on her ankle would allow her. At this point she would give anything for a saw so she could rip the damn thing off. She prayed to every spiritual being that ever existed that she wasn't seeing things, or that she wouldn't wake up from this beautiful dream. 

"Inuyasha!" She screamed as she got closer. 

She saw the small flick of his ear as he raised his head, obviously exhausted. She stopped at the small fence that surrounded the tree and stared at him. His fire rat robes were still ripped, and blood was still soaking the material, but she didn't care. He was alive, that was all that mattered. 

"Kagome." He said softly. 

A sob escaped her throat as she hopped the fence, ignoring the pain that shot up her leg, signalling that the bone that had been carefully reset would need tending to later. He reached up and pulled her down, wrapping his arms around her. Kagome's arms went around his neck and head and his nose went straight for the slim column of her throat. 

She wept into his hair while he inhaled her scent, feeling his strength return to him. "You're alive!" She whispered into his ear, the feeling of her breath on the sensitive fur sending shivers down his spine. 

"I'm alive." He said. "Your arrow purified my demon blood for awhile, my human blood saved me. I've never been so glad to be part human." 

"You're alive." She whispered again. 

"Is that all you're going to say to me?" He teased. 

Kagome nodded and held onto him tighter. Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes content in holding her a little while longer. "Inuyasha?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Did they tell you that the Shikon no Tama was shattered again?" 

"_What?_" 

Souta shook his head and slid the window shut as the voices of Inuyasha's and Kagome rose as they argued. _Things are back to normal._ He thought as he climbed back under his blanket and Kagome's voice screamed out "Sit". 


End file.
